''A Perfect Spy'' is a

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

serial adaptation of

John le Carré David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 193112 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré ( ), was a British author, best known for his espionage novels, many of which were successfully adapted for film or television. A "sophist ...

's 1986

spy novel Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intellig ...

A Perfect Spy ''A Perfect Spy'' (1986) is a novel by British author John le Carré about the mental and moral dissolution of a high-level intelligence-officer. Major aspects of the novel are lifted from the life of the author, including the relationship bet ...

'' which was aired on

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...

and broadcast from 4 November to 16 December 1987. It follows the career of the British

MI6 The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...

spy Magnus Pym from his early days as a schoolboy to his eventual disappearance as a suspected agent of the Czech secret service. The series was nominated for the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series represents excellence in the category of limited series that are two or more episodes, with a total running time of at least 150 minutes. Criteria The program must tell a compl ...

and the

British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series The British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series is one of the major categories of the British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs), the primary awards ceremony of the British television industry. The category is described on the official ...

in 1988.

Plot summary

''A Perfect Spy'' traces the life story of Magnus Pym and his career in British intelligence and as a double agent. The series recounts Pym's childhood with his con-man father, his early years at school and university, his encounters with long-time friend and Czech spy Axel, and his final downfall. Unlike in the novel, the narrative unfolds mostly in chronological order.

Main cast

Peter Egan Peter Joseph Egan (born 28 September 1946) is a British actor. He is known for television roles including Hogarth in '' Big Breadwinner Hog'' (1969), the future King George IV in ''Prince Regent'' (1979); smooth neighbour Paul Ryman in the sitco ...

as Magnus Pym (episodes 3 to 7) * Benedict Taylor as Young Adult Magnus Pym (episodes 1 and 2) *

Iain Cuthbertson Iain Cuthbertson (4 January 1930 – 4 September 2009) was a Scottish actor and theatre director. He was known for his tall imposing build and also his distinctive gravelly, heavily accented voice. He had lead roles in ''The Borderers'' (19 ...

as Makepeace Watermaster *Jonathan and Nicholas Haley as Child Magnus Pym (episode 1) *

Ray McAnally Ray McAnally (30 March 1926 – 15 June 1989) was an Irish actor. He was the recipient of three BAFTA Awards in the late 1980s: two BAFTA Film Awards for Best Supporting Actor (for ''The Mission'' in 1986 and ''My Left Foot'' in 1989), and a ...

as Rick Pym * as Axel Hampel * Alan Howard as Jack Brotherhood * Jane Booker as Mary Pym * Tim Healy as Syd Lemon *

Peggy Ashcroft Dame Edith Margaret Emily "Peggy" Ashcroft (22 December 1907 – 14 June 1991) was an English actress whose career spanned more than 60 years. Born to a comfortable middle-class family, Ashcroft was determined from an early age to become ...

as Miss Dubber * Sarah Badel as Baroness Weber *

Ian McNeice Ian McNeice (born 2 October 1950) is an English film and television actor. On television, he has played government agent Harcourt in the 1985 television series ''Edge of Darkness'', Bert Large in the comedy-drama '' Doc Martin'', the Newsreade ...

as Sefton Boyd *

Julian Firth Julian Firth (born 8 January 1961) is an English actor, best known for his roles as troubled inmate Davis in the cinematic version of the film '' Scum'' and as Brother Jerome in the long-running television series '' Cadfael''. Firth has enjoy ...

as Young Sefton Boyd *

Garrick Hagon Garrick Hagon (; born September 27, 1939) is a British-Canadian actor. He is known for his role as Biggs Darklighter in '' Star Wars: A New Hope''. His films include ''Batman'', ''Spy Game'', '' Me and Orson Welles'' and '' The Message''. He ...

as Grant Lederer *Lesley Nightingale as Sabina *Robin Hayter as Steggie

Episodes

Reception

John J. O'Connor of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' cited the series as "on a par with '' Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'' and '' Smiley's People,''", and wrote it "makes another very impressive addition to the television record of Le Carre explorations. Gloomy and disturbing, to be sure, but singularly absorbing."

Awards and nominations

The series was nominated for five

BAFTA Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best Cinema of the United Kingdom, British and Worl ...

in 1988, for Drama Series ( Colin Rogers, Peter Smith),

for Actor, Michael Storey for Original Music and Television Craft for Film Cameraman (Elmer Cossey) and Film Sound (Malcolm Webberley, Ken Hains, Tony Quinn, Graham Lawrence, John Hyde). After airing in the United States on '' Masterpiece Theater'', the series was nominated for two

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

at the 41st Primetime Emmy Awards, for Outstanding Miniseries and

for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perfect Spy (TV series), A 1987 British television series debuts 1987 British television series endings 1980s British drama television series BBC television dramas 1980s British television miniseries John le Carré Television shows based on British novels British English-language television shows MI6 in fiction British spy television series